William



(No Model.)

W. 0. DODGE.

TOWEL RACK.

No. 363,511. Patented May 24, 1887.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. DODGE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

TOWEL-RAG K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,511, dated May 24, 1887. Application filed November 29, 1886. Serial No. 220,156. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. DODGE, of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towel-Backs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices denominated towel-1-acks;and the invention consists, primarily, in forming the rack of a single piece of wire bent to the required form, and in certain details of construction, as hereinafter more fully described.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a rack con plete with a towel attached. Figs. 2 and 3 are front views of the same, showing slight modifications; and Figs. 4 and 5 represent certain other modifications.

The object of this invention is to produce a simple and efficient device that can be furnished very cheaply, and can be made ornamental, if desired.

To make atowel rack on my plan, I take a piece of wire about two and a half or three times as long as the width of an ordinary towel, and about the diameter of that ordinarily used to form the spiral springs for bed-bottoms, and bend one end of it over, so as to form an open hook, I), as shown in Fig. 1. Then, about an inch from this hook, I bend the wire to avertical position, as indicated at f, Fig. 1, and about two inches from the angle f, I give the wire one entire turn, thereby forming an eye, a, as shown, and at the point which is to form the opposite end of the rack bend it so as to form another eye, a, then extend it down to form a vertical portion, B, corresponding to the part B, then make a bend, f, corresponding to the bendf at the right-hand end, extend the wire out horizontally a distance corresponding to the part which has the hook b formed on it, then bend it laterally at a right angle, and extend it across to the point of beginning or hook I), all as clearly shown in Fig. 1. By this method I form of a single piece of wire the two end brackets, B and B, ,united at top by the part A and the supportingrod 0, this latter being left sprung outward a little at its free end, so that when the towel T has been slipped thereon and the free end is placed in the hook b it will be held secure therein, and the towel be held properly in place and a little distance from the wall to which the rack is secured, the eyes a serving the purpose of holes for the screws or nails that are to hold the rack in place, as shown.

Instead of forming the right angle f in the brackets B and B, the lower bar or rod, 0, may be thrown out from the wall the required distance by curving the posts B and B, as shown in Fig. 4:, either plan being adopted, as the one or the other may be found most convenient in manufacture. So, too, the eyes a and a, instead of being formed by bending the wire around in a circle, as shown in Fig. 1, may be made in the form of a loop, as represented in Fig. 5,thereby avoiding the crossing of the wire upon itself, as is done in Fig. 1; or the eyes may be (llSPQllSt dwit-h and the wire be simply bent at a right angle at the corners, as represented in Fig. 3, a nail or screw at these corners serving to hold it in'plaee; or the eyes may be formed at other points on bar A.

If it be desired to make the article more ornamental, it may be secured byclips or corner-pieces E, as shown in Fig. 2, these being preferably formed of sheet metal, and stamped with a groove in them to receive the wire at the corners, as shown, so that when fastened to the wall, as represented, they will hold the rack securely in place.

' Instead of two clips, a single one may be used by placing it at the center, as shown in Fig.3. When two are used, as represented in Fig. 2, that portion of the bar A shown in dotted lines may be cut out or omit-ted, as the clips E will hold the brackets securely in position, the same as the part A does in Fig. 1, where the clips are not used. When a single clip E is used, as shown in Fig. 3, the bar A may be continued entirely across, as in Fig. 1, ifit be designed for use with an endless towel; but if designed to be used for supporting the other style of towel ordinarily used in bed rooms, then the hook I) may be dispensed with, and the bar 0 and the brackets 13 and B, with the bar A, may all be made of a single piece, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the part A in Fig. 3 having its ends terminating at the center of the clip E, as shown in dotted lines, or simply extend under the clip far enough to beheld securely in place.

It is obvious that the supporting-rod O, in

stead of being made integral with the bracket B, as represented in Fig. 1, may be made of a separate piece and be hinged or joined thereto by an eye-joint and operate the same. So, too, instead of being made integral with the two brackets B and B, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3, it may be a separate piece, and be held in eyes formed on the projecting ends of the brackets; but that would require more labor and material, and hence I prefer to make the entire rack, aside from the clips, of a single piece of Wire.

The clips E and the whole rack may be made of brass, and may be gilded or plated, thus rendering it highly ornamental. The form shown in Fig. 1 will be made more especially for kitchen use and the like, and it will ordinarily be made of wire bronzed, and without any clips, thus producing a very cheap and yet efficient article for the purpose designed,while the style shown in Figs. 2 and 3 may be made of more expensive material and highly ornamental, as the clip or clips may be made in a great variety of designs and of various sizes,

thus adapting the rack to be used wherever and under all the varying conditions in which such an article can be required. It can be made by machinery, and can be turned out rapidly and in large quantities and at a very W. O. DODGE.

Witnesses:

WALTER S. DODGE, W'ILLIAM W. DODGE. 

